ARIA'S POV
The next four hours passed in a blur of frantic work.
Aria pulled up file after file on European markets, her eyes scanning data until they burned. Brexit impact assessments. German manufacturing regulations. French consumer trends. Italian distribution networks. Spanish labor laws.
Every country had different rules, different markets, different challenges. And Damien wanted comprehensive analysis of all of it.
By my deadline. Tonight. 8 PM.
Around her, the office moved through its normal rhythms. Phone calls and meetings and the constant hum of productivity. People took coffee breaks, chatted by the water cooler, left for lunch.
Aria didn't move from her desk.
At noon, Emma from marketing stopped by. "Hey, lunch break. Want to grab something from the cafeteria?"
"I can't. I have a deadline."
"On your first day? That's brutal." Emma's expression was sympathetic. "At least let me bring you something. You can't work on an empty stomach."
